Grace O’Malley to star in Clitheroe charity concert

Rossendale-based songstress Grace O’Malley is, at just 15, a star in the making, with a voice of maturity beyond her years.

She is appearing at The Grand at a concert organised by Clitheroe Rotary on Sunday November 17th (doors 7 pm, £9), with accompaniment from the Slaidburn Silver Band.

Grace said: “I am really excited to be performing at The Grand and proud to be singing for Rotary again.”

A pupil at Alder Grange High School, Rawtenstall, Grace is also a student at the Royal Northern College of Music. Classically trained from the age of six, Grace attended Chethams School of Music as a Manchester Cathedral chorister and left at 10 to join the Junior Royal Northern College of Music.

When performing live, she draws from a wealth of material, from the likes of Kathleen Ferrier to a range of musical theatre and opera. Her singing has already led to prestigious recognition; in 2012 she won the under-15 vocal solo competition at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, an accolade previously bestowed upon a certain Luciano Pavarotti.

It is not just Grace’s stunning vocal range that has gathered many admirers. Her performances and subsequent fund-raising for a number of charities – including the Royal British Legion, Crossroads Care, The Northwest Air Ambulance, Cancer Research UK, Help for Heroes, Save the Children, HAPPA and Pendleside Hospice – has been greatly appreciated and officially recognised by a BBC Rotary Young Citizen Award this year. Grace’s grandfather was a Royal Navy veteran of the Normandy landings and this led her to becoming involved with The Royal British Legion.

She has sung for them on many occasions and has been awarded honorary membership for her fund-raising work.

Grace has just returned from London where she has been performing a concert for the Chelsea Pensioners. With help from TV gardening celebrity Alan Titchmarsh, she was promoting a new CD, featuring a duet with 86-year-old Chelsea Pensioner Denis Shiels, who will be joining her to perform the song “I’ll Be Seeing You” in Clitheroe.

“It’s going to be really nice to have Denis here for the Clitheroe concert, added Grace, “we had a lot of fun with the CD launch in London and it was warmly received.”

Augmenting Grace’s varied repertoire will be the renowned Slaidburn Silver Band. Tickets for this concert are available from The Grand box office, call 01200 421599 or visit The Grand website on www.thegrandvenue.co.uk.

l The broadcast of Bolshoi Ballet’s production of Spartacus, which was unfortunately cancelled on Saturday due to technical difficulties, has been rescheduled for Tuesday November 12th. All tickets purchased remain valid for this event,or refunds can be sought by contacting the Box Office on 01200 421599.